The Fear Beneath All Fears
by gleefulmusings
Summary: After breaking free of Lima, Kurt moves to New York for college and to be near his cousin, fellow ghost whisperer Melinda Gordon. The small town of Grandview hides much beneath its surface and someone is determined to pull back the veil.
1. Dare to Breach the Surface and Sink

An amused Jim watched as his adorable wife raced about their house in a cleaning frenzy, swiping imaginary dust bunnies from every surface before readjusting all of their bric-a-brac _just so_. He looked around in appreciation.

In the past two weeks, Melinda had repainted walls, brought home inventory from the store to freshen the décor, and reupholstered the sofa. He had barely managed to stop her from refinishing the floor. Granted, the house looked great, but she had been in a manic state for almost a month and, frankly, he was getting a little worried.

"Don't say it," she sang, as she skipped toward the kitchen closet to grab the vacuum.

He got up and shot after her, beating her to the door and wedging himself between it and her.

He arched a brow. "So don't make me."

She pouted and at last sighed. "Okay, so I might – I stress _might_ – be going a little overboard."

His brow arched higher.

She deflated. "Or maybe a lot." She rolled her eyes. "But come on! I'm so excited!" Her eyes turned pleading. "Just be happy for me?"

He grinned. "I am. I know how much you've been looking forward to Kurt moving to Grandview."

She whirled on her heel and dashed over to the stove to wipe it down again. "He's the only family I have," she said quietly. "Well, that counts, at any rate. I just want him to see how happy I am, how happy you _make_ me, and how well we're doing."

Jim frowned. "Is there any reason he'd think otherwise?"

"Well, no," she admitted, "but I guess I just want to impress him. And, okay, I know he's not the only family I have, but he's the only one with whom I'm in regular contact. We're spread out all over the country and almost never get to see each other."

Jim nodded. He remembered how lonely Melinda's side of the aisle was at their wedding. Friends she had in abundance; she made them just by walking into a room. Family had always been more difficult for her.

"He's my favorite cousin," she added, "and we've always been very close, even if we hardly see each other." She turned toward him, eyes dancing. "And of all the places he could have to school, he picked Rockland!" She bit her lip. "I just hope he doesn't come to regret it."

"Why would he?"

"He turned down Harvard, Jim. He turned down all the Ivy League schools, and Oxford and the Sorbonne. Rockland is a great school, yeah, but it's still … Rockland."

Jim bobbed his head. "Okay, I understand what you're saying, but Kurt is the kind of kid who puts thought into what he says and does. I don't think he'd come here if he didn't truly want to."

"But what if it's horrible and he comes to resent it _and_ me?"

He crossed the room and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Honey, I love you, but you're being ridiculous. Kurt chose Rockland because they pursued him. Hard. They really wanted him and he responded to that.

"He may have applied just because the school is near you but, and please don't take offense, would he really spend the next four years in a place he didn't want to be, studying at a school in which he had no interest, just because it's close to you? There are better schools two hours away in the city. And he applied to and was accepted at those."

She gnawed on her lip. "He's lived in a small town his entire life. He always looked forward to getting out of Lima. What if Grandview suffocates him just as much?"

"Grandview isn't Lima," he said reasonably. "You know Kurt didn't want to move too far away because he's still worried about his father, even though Burt's health is just fine. Ohio is within driving distance, Grandview is larger than Lima and more sophisticated, and if he really feels deprived of culture, he can drive into the city whenever he wants."

"But what if …"

"Mel," he said sternly, "stop dreaming up scenarios in which Kurt will be miserable here and just be happy he's happy. You know why he chose Rockland. They gave him a full ride, are allowing him to design his own major and even some of his own classes, and he's looking forward to learning from Payne."

She scoffed. "That'll change once he meets Rick."

Jim snickered. "Okay, probably, yeah, but Rockland is allowing Kurt to write his own ticket. They also agreed to let him take as much time as he wants to earn his degree. You know he doesn't want to go to school full-time. He wants to travel and do other things. He has the money and the intelligence to do that, so just support him, okay? That's all he needs."

Melinda scowled. "You know what his friends said to him."

"Then they're not really his friends," Jim argued. "They're jealous and tried to hide it by picking apart his plans. I'm just glad he had the sense to tell them off and do what he wants. Not everyone's college trek is the same. Kurt knows what he wants to do with his life. He doesn't even have to work if he doesn't want, but he does. He just wants to pursue a field that means something to him."

He blinked. "Although Comparative Mythology and Folklore is a rather … eclectic and … obscure field." He shook his head. "I don't pretend to understand his interest, but I know he'll do well."

She looked away.

"Mel?"

She winced. "There's something I never told you about Kurt."

He felt his heart rate increase for some unknown reason. "Which is?"

Melinda was silent for several long moments. Jim waited with feigned patience.

She looked up and into his eyes. "He sees them too."

* * *

A flabbergasted Jim sat on the sofa and stared into space as Melinda paced before him, trying to justify herself.

"I know I should have told you," she repeated, "but we all agreed a long time ago not to tell anyone without Kurt's permission. At the time, he was a child and didn't understand what that meant, how it would change how people look at him."

She plopped down next to him. "After a while, we just stopped talking about it. I know it sounds stupid, but I honestly never thought to mention it. I wasn't trying to hide it from you; I just put it out of my mind a long time ago, worried about what it meant and what it meant for him." She shook her head sadly. "I should have paid closer attention."

He snapped out of his fog, now concerned. "Why? Is Kurt okay?"

She slowly exhaled. "Jim, Kurt's abilities are … considerable. We try not to dwell on them, on what they'll mean for him later in life, as well as his children, if he ever has any."

"What does that mean?" he demanded. "Is he more powerful than you or something?"

She eyed him. "I know you're not accusing me of being jealous."

"Of course not, but you have to admit that you safeguard what you can do rather zealously. Is he less powerful than you? Is that it?"

She shook his head. "You never met his mother, Suzanne. She died right before I started college, but her abilities were on par with mine." Her eyes turned distant. "Kurt has her abilities – my abilities – but those aren't the only ones he possesses."

His brow furrowed.

"Kurt can see ghosts like I do, and he crosses them over, but that's a very small portion of what he does." She looked down. "He also has Allison's gifts."

He paled and swallowed heavily. "Jesus."

He'd never met Allison. She lived in Phoenix with her family and was older than Melinda by almost ten years. He knew the woman enough to hold a polite telephone conversation. He knew Allison had three girls, all of whom had shown some psychic talent, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't concerned about what that meant for any children he and Melinda might one day have.

He also knew Allison's abilities were darker than those of his wife. Her dreams and visions were always littered with rape and murder, extreme violence. She had gone to work for the District Attorney's office to try and bring justice to those spirits who sought her out, but they had taken their toll. Allison had been stalked and harassed by different offenders. She had been outed by a remorseless hack journalist who'd had an audience far greater than the blogger who had fixated on Melinda.

Christ, the woman had even had a stroke.

"Mel," he whispered, "he's only eighteen."

"I know," she said, closing her eyes, "and the things he's seen, Jim … they're horrible. I know I've been the recipient of some truly heinous visions, but he was a child dreaming of rapists and murderers in all their savage glory. He was a _baby_. I know it devastated Allison."

"It's not her fault!"

"Of course not," Melinda agreed, "and neither Kurt nor his father ever blamed her, but she's always been very close to Kurt. She was worried how much of her abilities the girls would inherit, and Kurt started showing signs very early. He is much more powerful than the girls. He's almost at Allison's level now and is less than half her age."

His face softened. "You're worried about what he'll see here."

She gave a bleak nod. "It's getting weird around here, Jim, even for me, and you know that. The accidents, the signs, the tunnels under the town … Kurt has certain sensitivities that I don't. I don't know what he'll see or how he'll react. This is supposed to be his time, Jim. He's finally out of that hellhole and can live his life on his own terms. What will he walk into?"

"Did you tell him?"

"He wouldn't have listened. If anything, it would have encouraged him to leave Ohio before hanging up the phone. He'd want to help me, protect me. I need to be the one to do that for him."

He knew she was at her wit's end and decided it best to detour the conversation. "Who else knows?"

She shrugged. "All of the usual suspects: Allison, of course; Camille, Brenda, Myka, and Megan. Rick and Jessica at least suspect. We kept it from Patrick for obvious reasons, but Kurt saw him when he went out to California to look at schools and told him. And Alex and Olivia know. We've tried to limit it to those who either have their own abilities or are in some position to protect him if he were ever compromised."

He nodded. It made sense. "I still think you're worrying too much, honey. Kurt is a smart kid. He knows what you can do and I think he'd ask for help if he needed it. Just relax and enjoy having him here."

She nodded, though it was strained.

He prayed she was overreacting.

* * *

Melinda's joy and anxiety only increased over the next week as Kurt's arrival drew near. Everyone noticed and questioned it, but she kept mum, as did Jim at her insistence. It was one thing for them to know she could see and talk with the dead, but she wasn't outing her cousin. Even if her friends would be understanding, it wasn't her decision to make.

She knew Kurt had kept his secret from even his closest friends. Inevitably, it had interfered with some of those relationships. His stepbrother Finn, whom Melinda had never met, sensed that Kurt was holding back, decided Kurt didn't really like him, and now was not speaking to him. Melinda had never heard anything so childish in her life.

If she knew the other boy, she would have booked down to Lima to smack him hard across the face. From some of the things Kurt had told her, Finn really needed a good smack.

His former best friend Mercedes suspected Kurt was keeping secrets from her and had allowed her imagination to run away with what those secrets might be. She had accused him of all sorts of ridiculous things, all of which were designed to hurt her. This had only reinforced his belief that Mercedes should not be told about what he could do. Instead, he had walked away from the friendship. It had been hard at first, very hard, but he had become stronger for it.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Delia asked.

Melinda startled, torn from her thoughts. She turned and smiled, rolling her eyes. "Nothing. You know that!"

Delia grinned and shook her head. "Seriously, Mel. All of this over a cousin?"

Melinda immediately went on the defensive and had to force her mouth to close lest she say something she would regret.

Delia saw the resultant anger and widened her eyes. "Wow. He must be some kid."

"He is," Melinda ground out. "I don't have a lot of family, Delia. Kurt has always been very important to me." She raised a brow. "And after the commission he just gave you, he should be important to you."

Delia colored. That commission had been a beautiful thing, ensuring she would be able to cover Ned's prep school tuition until he graduated. So, yes, she was grateful and would certainly do her part to make Kurt Hummel's tenure in Grandview a happy one.

"Sorry," Melinda murmured, wincing, "that was out of line."

Delia blew out a breath. "No, I don't think it was." She smiled. "In fact, it sounds like something I would've said in response to an obnoxious statement like the one I made."

Melinda's lips twitched. "You know what they say. The more time you spend with someone …"

Delia laughed. "What? The more you start to look like them? If that's the case, honey, I'm moving into your house immediately and handcuffing myself to your side."

Melinda rolled her eyes and swatted at her friend.

They fell into a companionable silence for several minutes.

"Delia?"

Delia turned around and frowned when she saw the look on Melinda's face. "What is it, sweetie?"

"Kurt … he knows about me, about what I can do." She took a deep breath. "And he knew Andrea."

Delia's eyes softened. Despite how close she and Melinda had become, Andrea was someone they didn't often discuss. From what she had gathered, Melinda and Andrea had been closer than best friends; they had been sisters. Melinda was still grieving the loss more than a year later, and she was grieving hard. So was Jim, for that matter.

Their relationship with Andrea had been one of those rare ones between a couple and a single person. Andrea and Jim had loved each other like siblings, never jealous of the time either spent with Melinda. They had never competed for her attention or resented the other.

Delia knew that even though Melinda had watched as Andrea crossed over into the Light, she would never truly get over her friend's death.

It must have been so hard, coming into the shop every day where she had been partnered with Andrea. Walking past Andrea's old apartment, still vacant. Even though they had been like sisters, Melinda couldn't grieve with Andrea's family. They loved her dearly and kept in contact, but family was family. It was sometimes hard to reconcile blood with the families you choose for yourself.

Delia loved Melinda and knew she was loved into return, but she couldn't be Andrea. She didn't want to be, nor did Melinda expect her to be, but the woman's figurative ghost lingered between them. Delia also felt sad and guilty for not being able to evince the total belief and support in Melinda's abilities that Andrea had.

She now understood why Melinda was so looking forward to her cousin's arrival. She had never met Kurt. He had found the house online and everything was done through banks and representatives. They had spoken on the phone frequently up through closing, and what Delia knew of him she liked, but she didn't really know him.

"What's he like?" she asked with honest curiosity.

Melinda's eyes lighted with joy, which Delia was pleased to see.

"He's wonderful!" Melinda enthused. "He's very smart, a genius-level IQ. He's funny; _no one_ can make me laugh like he can. He's sweet and kind, at least once you know him. If you don't, well, he can be kind of a bitch."

Delia blinked.

"He's witty and sarcastic. He can be cold and aloof with strangers, but always polite." She sighed. "He's had it really hard, Delia. His mother died when he was very young. The town in which he grew up was very … unkind to him. He's gay."

Delia refrained from saying she had suspected as much during their phone conversations. She wasn't that crass. She frowned. "What did they do to him?"

Melinda's face became etched with fury as she detailed the campaigns of verbal harassment and abuse which Kurt had endured, the vandalism and phone calls, the physical altercations.

Delia was thunderous. What kind of backwater was this place that almost the entire town felt no compunction about attacking a child for something he couldn't control? Something which was of ultimately no consequence or danger to anybody? She felt a surge of protectiveness toward Kurt, unable to keep from imagining how she and Ned would have fared in Burt and Kurt Hummel's predicament.

Ned wasn't gay, at least not that he had told her, but mob mentality could have picked out any trait which they deemed undesirable and made life miserable for her son. She knew how lucky she was that Grandview was as lovely as it was, that she had friends like Melinda and Jim to help her.

"I stopped over at the house this morning," she said.

Melinda perked up. "How's it going?"

Delia smiled. "The renovations are complete! It looks terrific. I think Kurt will be pleased with the results." She paused. "But it's pretty bare. I noticed the things he sent ahead won't really fill a house."

Melinda nodded. "He wants to look at our stock and then visit some estate sales in the area after he gets here. I expect you to come with us and work your magic with the sellers."

Delia grinned, always ready to seek out good bargains. "From what I could tell, his taste is almost exactly like yours: classy and romantic."

Melinda blushed. "Kurt is romantic, but my style is very girly and he's not. I'm lucky Jim lets me get away with as much as he does. Kurt favors Neoclassical, so we'll be looking for lots of white _everything_."

"Mel, not to be insensitive, but how can he afford all of this? I mean, he paid cash for the house and he's only eighteen!"

Melinda nodded. "Trust funds. Suzanne was the only child of only children for as far back as anyone can remember. She's a direct descendant of Charlemagne by Eleanor of Aquitaine. She inherited all of her family's money, and then Kurt inherited it from her."

"But you have so many cousins."

"Yeah, but we're distantly related. We feel much closer emotionally than we are biologically." She frowned. "Now that I think about it, most of us are only children. I think that's why our parents and grandparents kept such close track of who was born when and to whom, and made sure the kids all felt close bonds. Kurt and I are fourth cousins, but we never think of each other in those terms."

Delia nodded. "It's such a big house, though. Won't he be lonely?"

Melinda sighed. "I don't know. I know that he craves solitude. He didn't have many friends in Lima, but he was always living in a fishbowl. He never felt like he was a part of the community. His mother died when he was a child, he's gay, he's an atheist …"

Delia held up a hand. "Wait, atheist?" She cocked her head. "Yet he knows and believes in what you can do?"

Melinda shrugged. "Kurt doesn't disbelieve the supernatural, only that there's some deity watching over all of us."

Delia frowned and needed to sit down. "And you don't have a problem with that?"

"Not really. I don't know if there's a god or, if there is, whether he or she is magnanimous. I do believe in the Light. I've seen the faces of those who see it when it comes for them. They radiate serenity and joy. That doesn't necessarily mean there's a god overseeing it."

"I don't understand."

"I'm not sure I do, either. You should talk to Kurt about it when he gets here. He believes that what I can do isn't a mystery or anything esoteric. He thinks it's forgotten science, that it's just an extra sense everyone has the ability to possess, but is only … activated … in certain people for whatever reason."

"Like an expressed gene?"

"Exactly."

Couched in those terms, Delia was suddenly not so unsettled about Melinda's, er, talents.

"Kurt believes in balance," Melinda said. "He believes that there are no such thing as coincidences, that whatever energy you put out returns to you eventually, and that the universe operates according to physical laws."

"That for every reaction …"

"There's an equal and opposite reaction, yes, but he reduces it even further: for every force, there is an equal and opposing force."

And, just like that, Delia was unsettled once more. She may not have understood her friend, but she knew Melinda was a good person. If Melinda was right and there was a force in Grandview that meant her harm, it also meant that force was just as strong.

That was terrifying.

* * *

Kurt had called ahead and told Jim he was arriving early to surprise Melinda. Considering his wife wasn't easily surprised, Jim decided it necessary to be there and see the look on Mel's face. He knew Melina wasn't exactly a fan of surprises, but felt that this would be a good one.

For once he was working the day shift and popped over to the shop on his break.

"Hey, you!" Melinda squealed, rushing from behind the counter to give him a hug. "I didn't know we had plans."

"We didn't," he said, throwing a wink over her shoulder at Delia, who smiled, "but I thought I'd surprise you." He grinned as he heard a car pull up to the curb. He shifted them so that he was blocking the door. "And here it is now."

The bell chimed a new arrival and Melinda peeked around her husband to see …

"Kurt!"

Kurt beamed and rushed toward her, wrapping his arms around her, lifting her up, and spinning them in a circle. "I've missed you, Mellie," he whispered.

She giggled and blushed. "Since when are you so tall? And so strong! Speaking of, put me down!"

He laughed and complied, returning her to the floor. "I had a growth spurt last year."

"It looks good on you," she said. "You're gorgeous!"

His entire face flushed and she wanted to coo. "I guess it runs in the family."

"I've always thought so," Jim said.

Kurt's eyes lighted. "Jim!"

Jim smiled and gave Kurt a strong hug. He knew the hell the boy had been through, and visions on top of all of that? His respect for Kurt knew no bounds. He dropped a kiss on top of Kurt's head, chuckling when Kurt burrowed against him.

Delia cleared her throat.

"Oh!" Melinda exclaimed, tugging her cousin's arm. "Kurt, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is …"

"Delia Banks," Kurt said, smiling and holding out his hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you and, may I just say, your picture on the real estate website doesn't do you justice."

A charmed Delia smiled and took his hand. "You may say it. Loud, often, and in public."

They laughed, turning when the bell chimed yet again.

Kurt clucked and raced over toward the door, holding it open and tugging someone inside.

Melinda raised a brow in interest. Could it be, perhaps … a boyfriend! Kurt had a boyfriend!

And a cute one.

Cute and _hot_ , not that she was surprised.

He was slightly taller than Kurt and built like a Greek god. His tight t-shirt made it plain that exercise had done his body good. His hair was a mop of bleached blond that worked with his pale skin and sea-green eyes. He had the most luminous smile she had ever seen.

And it was all directed at Kurt.

She saw so much in that smile, in this boy's eyes, such perfect love and trust. It was so beautiful it stole her breath.

"Mel, Jim, Delia," Kurt began, grinning from ear to ear, "I'd like you to meet Sam Evans, my husband."

* * *

 _End Note: So, I finally wrote a story where Hevans is endgame. They're together and they'll stay together. No missed chances, no stupid misunderstandings, no one coming between them. I'm not killing Sam this time!_


	2. Strive for Ordinary

Sam was glad Kurt had told him to expect stares of stupefaction. He waited patiently for the questions to assault them. He turned slightly toward his husband – and how freaking _cool_ was that? Kurt Hummel was _his husband_ – and lifted a brow at the small smirk on Kurt's face.

"What!" Melinda trilled.

"You're married?" Jim demanded.

Delia decided to intercede and pushed her way forward. "Let me be the first to congratulate you both," she beamed. She had no real stake in this and Kurt was her client, so it was to her benefit to keep him happy. Melinda and Jim could do the heavy lifting. "If you'll excuse me, I have to finish inventory."

Kurt's smirk grew. "Going while the getting's good?"

"Melinda was right. You _are_ smart," Delia snarked, waving over her shoulder as she went into the back room.

"When did this happen?" Jim asked.

Kurt looked down at his watch. "About three hours ago. We stopped at a justice of the peace in Birmingham."

Jim's mouth fell open.

Melinda was stuttering and stammering, whipping herself up into an hysterical cousin frenzy the likes of which the world had never seen. Kurt decided to cut her off at the pass.

"Mel," he softly began, "do you remember what you told me when you first met Jim?"

She nodded dumbly. Jim turned his curious gaze onto her.

"The moment you locked eyes with his, you knew. You were certain that, in a world which often made no sense, in which you had been made to feel that you didn't and couldn't ever belong, you had met your eye in the hurricane. You knew immediately that his soul was made for you to love and that he would love you just as equally."

"You said that?" Jim whispered to his wife.

Melinda flushed.

"I know all the arguments," Kurt said, keeping his eyes trained on hers. "I've heard them and made many of them myself. We're too young. We don't know what we're doing. We have no idea what marriage entails, how different it is from merely dating. We can't possibly expect to survive when we still have so much growing up to do."

Melinda abruptly closed her mouth.

"The moment Sam walked into the choir room, he took my breath away. Never had I seen someone so beautiful, and I'm not just talking about that body and face. I saw _him_."

Her eyes began to shine.

"I saw his kindness and his gentleness. I saw his humor and maturity. I saw how much love he had to give and, yes, I selfishly wanted to be the recipient of that." He paused. "I saw his _goodness_ , Mel. He positively glowed with it. Sam is _good_. He's my Jim."

Melinda didn't bother to blink back her tears as Jim gave a suspicious sniffle.

Sam took Kurt's hand in his, once again reveling in its warmth and comfort. "I knew, too. At first I was scared because I'd never had a reaction like that to anyone, but there was an immediate connection." He grimaced. "If other people hadn't interfered, Kurt and I would have been together the last three years."

"Who interfered?" Melinda said darkly, eyes hooded and now ready for a fight.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Kurt said. "It doesn't bear repeating and a lot of it is our own faults. We let them come between us because we were too scared to examine ourselves and admit what we wanted. We finally reached the destination, but at different points in time; both of us were involved with other people. Once we finally got our acts together, those we expected to support us just … didn't."

"Except my family," Sam said. "They've been nothing but supportive." He grinned. "They know I definitely traded up," he added squeezing Kurt's hand and laughing when his husband blushed.

Kurt nodded. "Scott and Savannah treat me as their son and have from the first moment Sam brought me home. Stacy and Stevie, his sister and brother, are like my own siblings. I'm very lucky."

Sam raised their hands and kissed Kurt's knuckles. "I'm the lucky one."

Jim rolled his eyes.

Sam laughed. "I know. We're sickening, but we like it that way, so get used to it."

Melinda looked at Sam speculatively before turning curious eyes on Kurt.

"He knows," Kurt confirmed. "I couldn't hide it if I wanted to, and I don't. I trust Sam completely."

"I would never betray him," said a suddenly serious Sam, "and, no, I've never once doubted him."

Melinda couldn't help but smile, happy for them both.

Jim laid a strong hand on Sam's shoulder. "You're in for a hell of a ride, kid."

Melinda and Kurt glared.

"I know," Sam said, beaming. "How lucky am I?"

* * *

Melinda stared. "You haven't told your father?"

"It wasn't his decision," Kurt said, shrugging. "He knows how much Sam and I love each other and, while he approves of Sam in theory, you and I both know Dad will never think any boy is worthy of me."

She nodded, knowing it was true.

"Dad had me to himself for so long," Kurt continued, "and fought so hard to protect me, even when I didn't need it, that I think he's scared to give up the reins, so to speak." He sighed. "The problem is that Dad has always believed I need to be protected, when the truth of the matter is that I've been protecting myself for a long time."

He looked into her eyes. "You know what it's like, how it changes you. You were never allowed to be a child, either. You can't be, not when you see what we do. We see life and death and love in all its pain and glory. It's hard to keep your innocence when you see things differently from everyone else, when you've done that for longer than you can remember."

She swallowed. "I'll never know just how hard it's been for you. What you and Allison go through." She looked away. "And I'm ashamed that I don't want to know, either."

Kurt smiled and took her hand. "I don't blame you, so please don't feel guilty. I've never regretted my gifts and I've never fought them, but I also can't deny that I've often wondered who I'd be without them."

"You'd still be the love of my life," Sam whispered into his ear.

Melinda smiled. "You did well, Kurt. Very well. If Burt has a problem with that, you send him to me."

Kurt guided her over the couch on display in the middle of the room. "There's something I need to ask you."

Frowning at his seriousness, she nodded. "Anything."

He wet his lips as he thought about how to phrase his question.

"Talk to me, honey," she whispered.

He looked into her eyes. "Have you ever seen a ghost after they've crossed over?"

She stared at him. "No," she answered slowly. "Once they've finished their unfinished business, they cross over into the Light and it's done." She tilted her head. "Isn't it?"

He said nothing, averting his gaze.

A shiver of fear slithered down her back. "Kurt, who did you see?"

He was silent for a very long moment, which felt like an eon to Melinda and Jim. He closed his eyes and released a soft breath.

"Andrea."

* * *

Melinda sat, frozen, as her mind race with what Kurt had just imparted. Her entire world had just shifted on its axis. Jim, pale and clammy, now stood behind her, his hands settled on her shoulders, mindful not to squeeze as he wanted.

"What did she tell you?" he asked in a choked voice.

Kurt kept his eyes ensnared in those of Melinda. "Things I don't really understand. She came to me last week and told me that you were the One."

His eyes darkened as Melinda looked away. "You've heard that before."

A hesitant nod. "But I don't know what it means."

He believed her. "She also said that you couldn't trust Tom Gordon."

Melinda gave a startled blink. "My best friend told you I shouldn't trust my father?"

His frown deepened. He hadn't truly considered Andrea's words until Melinda had phrased them in that manner. She hadn't said Melinda couldn't trust her father; she had said Melinda couldn't trust _Tom Gordon_. He was sure there was a reason for the delineation, but didn't see how it would be productive at the moment, so he opted for obfuscation.

"Not that you shouldn't, but that you couldn't," he clarified. "Have you seen or spoken with him lately?"

"Not since I was nine," was the bitter reply. "I try not to think about him."

Kurt nodded. That was understandable. "And Aunt Beth?"

Melinda's scowl became fiercer. "Oh, you'll love this. Turns out Mom could see them too."

His eyes narrowed. "What?"

After the hell Beth had put Melinda through, all but accusing her of being insane since the time Melinda was a child, for her to learn this now … Melinda must have been devastated.

"She's been denying her gift for so long, she can no longer see them, but she can still hear them."

Kurt blew out a breath, knowing his anger, though valid, was misplaced. This was not his fight and Beth was not his mother. He was outraged on Melinda's behalf, but could do nothing for her. He was determined not to get in the middle of this. He respected her anger but, at the same time, he could understand Beth's position: wanting to be normal, not wanting this for her child.

He was so absurdly grateful for his mother and the unconditional love and support she had given him, though their time together had been brief. Thankfully, his father had picked up the slack, never questioning what Kurt could do, though it had always worried him.

"I don't know what to say," he murmured, "except that I'm sorry you're going through this."

She cocked her head. "There's a lot more you want to say, I can tell."

He smiled. "But I won't." He crossed his legs and regarded her. "I can't tell you how to handle this and I won't tell you how to feel or that you should forgive her." He paused. "What I will say is that, no matter how much you might think otherwise, you will always need your mother. You will always want her with you."

She nodded, patting his knee. She knew how Suzanne's death had devastated him, how it haunted him still. He would probably forgive Beth if their situations were reversed and, while Melinda liked to consider herself a forgiving person, she didn't believe she could manage it right now.

She cleared her throat. "That's all Andrea told you?"

He straightened and nodded. "I was stunned to see her. I never knew ghosts could come back at will. I thought, like you, once they crossed over, that was it." He bit his lip. "I got the sense that …" He shook his head in frustration, unable to clarify his thoughts.

"What?" she prompted.

He sighed. "That it wasn't of her own volition?" he asked, testing the words as he spoke them. Again he shook his head. "That's not right either. It was as though she was sent, specifically to tell me this, so that I would tell you. She was a messenger."

Jim stared down at the floor. He knew Mel was still having difficulty accepting Andrea's death. So was he. She had been his best friend, too, though his relationship with her had been different than hers with Melinda. Their circle was small; it had to be, given what Mel could do. But Andrea had known everything and, though she like him couldn't see ghosts, her total belief in Melinda allowed her to share the experience somewhat. She was like a kindred spirit to Jim.

She had been funny, so hysterically funny, and she had loved sports and beer and a good filthy joke. She had never been one of the guys, she was too feminine and beautiful to be considered such, but she had been one hell of a broad.

At least Melinda had been able to see her, speak with her, before she crossed over. Jim had been denied that gift. Andrea had been taken from them suddenly and without warning, as so often happens, and all he was left with was the stark finality of her absence. It was perhaps the only time he had envied his wife her abilities.

Understanding her husband's hurt and confusion, Melinda reached up and laid her hands over his.

"What's going on in this town, Mellie?" Kurt asked. "And why does Professor Payne drop hints about whether or not I know what you can do?"

Melinda rolled her eyes. Rick Payne was a pain in the ass. She was endlessly grateful for his help and knowledge, but his fascination with her gifts was annoying. She knew he liked and respected her, but part of her felt he wanted to lock her in a lab and dissect her.

She wasn't sure what to tell her cousin. She knew Kurt didn't necessarily buy into the esoteric stuff as she did. Things like signs and dire warnings weren't likely to impress him.

Still …

That Andrea had managed to manifest herself to him, no matter how that had come about, would lend credence to her story. She told it.

She wasn't surprised that Kurt appeared interested but mostly indifferent. She was heartened, however, that Sam paid close attention and appeared to be seriously considering her words. He was worried for his husband and, even if Kurt ignored her, Sam wouldn't.

When she was finished, Kurt merely nodded and asked how much she was asking for the settee.

* * *

Melinda whined and complained about Sam and Kurt staying with her and Jim until they had furniture for their house, but her arguments fell on deaf ears.

Jim laughed in his head like a hyena. Melinda was so intuitive, no sensitive, that the times in which she completely missed the obvious were hysterical. Kurt and Sam were newlyweds, with everything that entailed. Of course the boys didn't want to stay with them.

As Melinda prattled on, Jim gave her an incredulous look.

"What?" she asked, honestly perplexed.

Jim threw up his hands. "Seriously, Mel? They just got married. They no longer live in their parents' homes. _Look_ at them! They're good-looking, healthy boys. Why do _you_ think they don't want to stay with us?"

Melinda flushed darkly, as did Sam. Both of them stared at the ground as they walked to their cars. Delia cackled as she followed behind.

Kurt had a wide smirk on his face that made Jim perversely proud.

* * *

Kurt and Sam stared up at their new house. Well, mansion.

"Wow," Sam breathed.

"It looked smaller in the pictures," Kurt whispered. He had expected something nice, but not quite so … grand. He was worried how Sam would react to this, wishing they had made the decision together.

"Pictures can be deceiving," Delia said happily, still grateful for the commission.

The house was a detached single-family home in the early Gothic Revival style, built in 1845. It sat back about half a football field from the front of the street on approximately an acre, a large apron opening onto a red-bricked driveway in the shape of a semicircle; the other exit was just at the end of the block.

The entire property was surrounded by an ornate wrought-iron fence painted black. It stood almost as tall as Melinda. The grounds were gorgeous and lovingly manicured, as though the entire lawn had been groomed with scissors rather than mown. Sam had never seen a yard with so many trees and was already thinking about how much there would be to rake when autumn fell in a few months. He noted oak, elm, pine, willow, birch, and black walnut.

His freaking yard had more types of wood than Ollivander's wand shop!

Okay, geek moment over.

In between the driveway and the front yard proper sat a large fountain.

A bug-eyed Sam stared at it. Kurt was just glad the fountain wasn't ugly or ostentatious.

The house was wood, painted a gray-violet with a slate roof. The veranda, protruding at least eight feet from the house itself wrapped around half of the ground floor and was already furnished with several rockers and a swing installed in each section. Doric columns with elaborate entablatures offered support and were connected to each other via delicate vergeboards.

Sam lost count of the steeply-pitched roofs and gables. The chimneys, and there were several, were barely noticeable. There was even a multi-level cupola! And a freaking tower, complete with widow's walk.

 _A tower_.

Sam had fantasies of rescuing Kurt from that tower, pulling up on his white steed and climbing the ivy to rescue his beloved. And that was a lot of nonsense because Kurt didn't need rescuing from anybody and Sam Evans was a huge nerd of the first order, but Kurt often called him Prince Charming and he wanted to live up to that.

Sam was surprised Kurt had chosen this house. His tastes ran toward Neoclassical and Greek Revival. What had prompted this decision?

Delia began prattling about the features, a lecture she had been giving since she moved to Grandview and had been assigned the house by the agency. It had been deserted for years, though it had been maintained by the previous owners. The house was lovely but extremely large and showroom ready, thus it had been out of reach for those who had fallen in love with it but couldn't afford the hefty price tag.

"The house is three levels, plus fully-finished attic and cellar space. The cellar features the media room, the billiard room …"

"The what?" Sam interrupted.

Kurt held his tongue. He knew he sometimes irritated Sam by answering every question posed.

"A game room," Delia clarified. "There's also the gym, the wine cellar, a full-service bar with efficiency kitchen, and the laundry room, complete with dumbwaiter to the other levels. There's also additional storage space."

Jim blinked. He had driven past this house for years and never really considered it. Was it like a TARDIS? Bigger on the inside?

Melinda preferred watching Kurt and Sam.

"Are you okay?" Kurt whispered.

Sam just smiled and took his husband's hand. "It's a lot, yeah, but I'm fine. I always knew you had money, you were totally honest about that, and I'm not jealous or resentful." His eyes became serious. "I'm not Finn, honey. When I look at you, I see my husband, not his wallet."

Melinda had hearts in her eyes and wanted to bleat about how sweet Sam was. She managed to restrain herself, but only barely. She smiled when Jim leaned down and whispered that Kurt really _had_ done well for himself. She nodded happily.

Delia grinned. "The first floor contains the grand foyer, the kitchen, a butler's pantry, the breakfast room, the formal dining room, a double parlor, a drawing room, and the conservatory, which has a bank of French windows opening onto the patio and backyard. Let's go inside!"

A dazed Sam nodded as a nervous Kurt bit his lip and held tightly to his husband's hand as they ascended the broad stone stairs, Melinda and Jim just behind them. Sam looked at the wide double entrance, the oak doors polished to a sheen and carved elaborately. The windows were stained glass and absolutely gorgeous.

"I'm surprised a house like this doesn't have a name," he said.

Kurt stilled.

"Oh, it does!" said an enthusiastic Delia. "It's called Hawthorne Manor."

Sam gawked and spun toward Kurt, who blushed.

"As in Nathaniel Hawthorne?" asked an interested Melinda.

"A different branch of the family," Delia replied, "but he was known to stay here on occasion when traveling between the city and New England. Edgar Allan Poe, Henry David Thoreau, and Herman Melville were also guests."

Sam continued to stare at Kurt, who blushed.

"Surprise?" Kurt asked weakly.

"What's going on?" asked a hesitant Jim.

Sam blinked several times. "Hawthorne is my mother's maiden name." He put his hands on Kurt's shoulders, eyes bright. "You did this for me?"

Kurt shrugged a shoulder and looked away. "I know how much her heritage means to her and she has a right to be proud. Once I knew we were moving to Grandview, I did a little research and found out the house used to belong to her family." He nodded to himself. "And now it does again."

It took considerable effort for Sam not to kiss Kurt into oblivion, but he knew his husband wasn't too fond of public displays of affection. In truth, after watching Finn and Rachel tongue-wrestle off and on for three years, none of them were big on PDAs.

"Thank you," he whispered, staring deeply into Kurt's eyes.

Kurt's smile was small but brilliant. He wrapped an arm around Sam's waist while his other hand locked with Melinda's own. "Family is everything."

* * *

All of them stood before the grand staircase and stared up at it with wonder.

"Whoa," Jim murmured.

They had completed the circuits for the cellar and ground floors and were ready to tour the next three.

"The second floor houses the master suite," Delia said, "three other bedrooms, the ball room, and two studies."

"How many bedrooms does the Manor have?" Melinda asked.

"Nine," Delia said, frowning. "I found the architect's original plans and there were a lot of notes about numerology. Apparently nine bedrooms is supposed to be significant."

Kurt and Melinda looked askance at one another.

"What are we going to do with nine bedrooms?" Sam wondered.

"Well," Kurt slowly began, "the master suite will be ours and I thought we could make up rooms for Dad and Carole; your parents, Sam; and Stevie and Stacy for when they visit."

Sam gave him a weepy smile and Kurt patted his hand.

"What about the rest?" Jim asked.

"Children, of course," Kurt said.

Jim and Melinda gave him looks of shock.

Sam grinned. "Kurt and I want children sooner rather than later. We want to be young enough to enjoy them."

Jim gave Melinda a significant look she ignored.

"Are you thinking about adoption or surrogacy?" Delia asked.

"Both," Kurt replied. "We want to give a home to children who need them, but I want Sam to have natural children as well."

"Kurt …" Sam began.

"No. Not again, Sam," he said. "We've been through this."

Melinda looked away.

"You don't know it will be passed on," Sam argued.

Kurt gave him a withering look. "Yes, I do. It grows stronger with each generation, Sam, and that's the end of it."

Jim suddenly sagged with unwelcome insight as he thought about how he had been pressing Melinda harder and harder to start a family. He should have realized why she kept putting him off, saying they still had a lot of time, that they hadn't been married that long yet and she wanted to spend time just with him. He should have understood her reticence but had willfully blinded himself to it.

"This discussion is not over, Kurt," Sam barked, chasing his husband, who had already ascended the stairs.

"Oh, yes it is!" Kurt growled over his shoulder.

Jim took Melinda's elbow but she shrugged him off and followed the boys.

He sighed and looked at Delia, whose face suggested her heart hurt almost as much as his own.


End file.
